17thcenturyliterature - British History

BRITISH HISTORY
400 - 700

(410) Roman troops withdrew from Britannia; Roman occupation officially over
(440 - 450) Assorted tribes including the Picts, Saxons, Angles and Jutes invaded unprotected Britain
(477) Saxon chief, Ella, captured fortress at Anderida; proclaimed himself king of Sussex
(525) AD (date) system introduced; Saxons attacked between London and St. Albans; formed Kingdom of Essex
(556) Saxons set up seven kingdoms in Britain
(597) Saint Augustine sent to Britain to convert English to Christianity
(613) Anglo-Saxons conquered all of Britain; land divided into 30 kingdoms
(617) Edwin, King of Northumbria, conquered England
(617 - 685) Northumbrian kingdom reigned supreme
(620) Ireland invaded by Norsemen
(663) Plague outbreak across British Isles
(668) English Church established

700 - 900

(730 - 821) Mercia kingdom reigned
(741) York burned
(779) Offa's Dyke (huge earthworks) completed from River Dee to River Wye
(793) First Viking raid on Britain at Lindisfarne
(802 - 839) Kingdom of Wessex gained control of most of England
(836) Vikings and West Welsh defeated in battle at Hengists Down near Plymouth
(866) Vikings, the "Great Army", invaded England
(867) Northumbria captured by Vikings
(870) Vikings sacked York; captured Nottingham
(836) Northmen and West Welsh defeated in battle at Hengists Down near Plymouth
(872) Vikings defeated Wessex army at Wilton; conquered Mercia
(897) King Alfred built first English fleet
(926) Eastern England recaptured by Saxons
(955) Northumbrian Danes defeated
(957) After revolt, Edgar named King
(980) Vikings again invaded England
(994) Danes and Norwegians attacked London

1000's

(1002) St. Brice's Day Massacre - King Ethelred ordered all Danes in England be killed
(1012) Danes captured Canterbury
(1013) Danes captured all of England, King of Danes, Sweyn, made King of England
(1016) Danish King Canute became King of England
(1035) King Canute died; England divided between three sons, Sweyn - Norway, Hardicanute - Denmark and South England, Harold Harefoot - North England
(1042) Edward the Confessor became King
(1066) Battle of Hastings occurred; William I crowned King of England
(1086) Domesday Book (survey of England) finished
(1087) King William I died; son, William II King
(1096) The Crusades began (lasted 150 years)

1100's

(1100) King William II killed; brother Henry I became King
(1106) King Henry I conquered Normandy
(1154) Henry II crowned King, first in Plantagenet line
(1170) Thomas Becket (Archbishop of Canterbury) murdered after quarrel with Henry II
(1189) King Henry II ousted; Richard the Lionheart (Richard I) crowned King
(1199) King Richard I died in battle; John new King

1200's

(1204) Philip II of France seized Normandy
(1215) Magna Carta (the Great Charter) completed
(1224) France declared war on England
(1259) Treaty of Paris signed; war with France ended
(1272) Henry III died; Edward I crowned King
(1282 - 1283) Edward I conquered Wales
(1284) Wales annexed to England
(1290) King Edward I expelled Jews from England
(1296) Edward I invaded Scotland; Scotland became dependency of England
(1297) William Wallace of Scotland, defeated English at Stirling Bridge
(1298) Edward I invaded Scotland; defeated Scots

1300's

(1307) King Edward I died; Edward II succeeded to throne; withdrew from Scotland
(1314) English defeated at Battle at Bannockburn
(1318) Scottish forces invaded North England
(1320) Declaration of Arbroath signed by earls and barons of Scotland, rejected English rule
(1327) Edward II abdicated throne; Edward III King
(1328) Edward III made peace with Scotland; treaty of Edinburgh signed
(1331) David II (age seven) crowned King of Scotland
(1337) Hundred Years' War with France began
(1346) English claimed first land victory in northern France of Hundred Years' War
(1348) Black Death Plague ravished England; over 50% of population died
(1377) King Edward III died; Richard II (age 10) crowned King; Poll tax introduced
(1381) Peasant's Revolt against poll tax occurred
(1399) King Richard II forced to resign; Henry IV crowned King

1400's

(1404) Welsh hero, Owain Glyndwr, gained control of Wales; declared himself Prince of Wales
(1409) Welsh surrendered to England
(1413) King Henry IV died; Henry V new king
(1415) English defeated French at Battle of Agincourt
(1419) Henry V took control of Normandy, France
(1422) Henry V died; Son Henry VI (aged nine months) succeeded; council established to rule England
(1453) Final battle of Hundred Years' War occurred at Chatillon; War ended; England ousted from France
(1455) War of the Roses began between parties of Plantagenets and Lancastrians
(1471) Edward IV reclaimed crown from King Henry VI; Henry VI died
(1483) King Edward IV died; dispute occurred about rightful king; Richard III crowned King
(1485) Henry Tudor, descendent of Edward III, fought to take over English throne; King Richard III died during battle, Henry Tudor crowned King Henry VII; War of the Roses ended at Battle of Bosworth
(1492) Kings Henry VII of England and Charles VII of France negotiated Treaty of Etaples; Christopher Columbus discovered Bahamas

1500's

(1509) King Henry VII died; King Henry VIII crowned
(1513) English defeated Scots and French invasion at Battle of Flodden Field
(1533) King Henry VIII divorced Catherine of Aragon; married Anne Boleyn; Pope excommunicated Henry VIII from church
(1534) King Henry VIII formed Church of England
(1536) Anne Boleyn executed; Henry VIII married Jane Seymour
(1542) Scottish forces attacked England at Battle of Solway; King James V of Scotland died; daughter Mary crowned Queen of Scots
(1547) King Henry VIII died; Edward VI (age nine) became King
(1549) Book of common prayer introduced; First Act of Uniformity passed, banning Roman Catholic mass
(1553) King Edward VI died; Lady Jane Grey declared Queen of England for nine days; Mary I crowned Queen
(1558) French retook Calais; Queen Mary I died; Elizabeth I crowned Queen
(1559) Mary, Queen of Scots, claimed her royal right to the English throne
(1565) Walter Raleigh brought tobacco to England
(1567) Mary, Queen of Scots, abdicated, son James declared King
(1587) Queen Elizabeth ordered execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, for treason
(1588) Spanish Armada sent to attack England; the English overwhelmingly defeated the Spanish fleet
(1593) William Shakespeare published first work

1600's

(1600) East India Company established
(1601) Queen Elizabeth I died; James VI of Scotland became James I of England, first Stuart king
(1604) Kings James I of England and Philip III of Spain signed Treaty of London, war ended
(1605) Plan to blow up Parliament, the Gunpowder Plot, failed
(1614) Parliament called Addled Parliament for not passing one act during sitting; James I dissolved Parliament
(1620) Mayflower with Pilgrims arrived in America
(1621) Thirty Years War began (Protestants against Catholics)
(1625) King James I died; son Charles I crowned
(1640) Long Parliament sat (until 1660)
(1642) English Civil War began
(1645) Civil War ended, Charles I defeated
(1648) Second Civil War occurred
(1649) King Charles I tried for levying war; found guilty and was executed; son Charles II declared himself King
(1653 - 1658) Lord Cromwell ruled as Lord Protector
(1654) England declared war on Spain
(1660) Monarchy restored with King Charles II
(1665) Great Plague struck London; over 75,000 died
(1666) Great Fire of London destroyed more than 12,000 houses, 80 churches
(1685) King Charles II died; brother James, Duke of York, crowned King James II
(1688 - 1689) Glorious Revolution took place, King James II deposed by Parliament
(1689) William III and Mary II jointly crowned King and Queen of England
(1690) Battle of the Boyce occurred, King William III defeated armies of James II
(1691) King William III took control of Ireland
(1694) Queen Mary II died; Bank of England established

1700's

(1702) King William III died; Anne, daughter of James II, crowned Queen
(1707) Act of Union passed - united England and Scotland as Great Britain
(1714) Queen Anne died; George Ludwig, great grandson of James I became King George I, the first German-speaking monarch
(1720) The South Sea Bubble financial crisis struck
(1721) Whig politician, Robert Walpole, became first Prime Minister of Great Britain
(1727) King George I died; son, George II crowned new king
(1745) French defeated Great Britain and Austria at Battle of Fontenoy; Bonnie Prince Charlie, claimant to throne, defeated by King George II supporters
(1752) Gregorian calendar (also known as New Style) adopted by Britain and all British colonies
(1756) Seven Years' War began
(1760) King George II died; George III new king
(1763) Treaty of Paris ended Seven Years' War
(1770) British troops sent to American colonies; Boston Massacre occurred; British troops quickly removed from Boston
(1773) Colonists in America dumped chests of tea into sea protesting taxes (Boston Tea Party)
(1775) American Revolution began
(1776) American Declaration of Independence signed by thirteen colonies declaring break from Britain
(1781) American Revolution ended; America won its independence